Happy Halloween!

Well, the kids had a wonderful Halloween! Here's a picture of me and the kids that morning...Weston couldn't wear his costume to school. Evidently, they can't wear their costumes to school because it may offend someone. Another example of good kids being punished! Most people said Kylie looked like Annie Oakley! Everyone thought her horse costume was the greatest! We went to the fall festival at the Fair Grounds, and people would stop her and tell her how cute she looked. Weston looked adorable in his Superman costume--he was so strong!
Of course, to be able to "dress down" at work, I had to "dress up". So, I am a Hog Fan!
Weston also had his Student of the Month breakfast this morning which was a real treat to be able to spend some time with him at school and congratulate him on his honor. I am very proud of him! Tomorrow, I will have to fill you in on the experience I had with checking in on our storage building down at my parents' house. Let's just say it was rather eye-opening and horrifying.
Next week is "All About Kylie" week at school. She has a survey of questions to answer and then she can bring pictures, etc to decorate the bulletin board at school! Here's a few of her answers to her questions:
Favorite place to go to vacation: Mexico--to swim in the water
Favorite thing to do with Mom: Shopping!
What I want to be when I grow up: Ballerina
Favorite sport: Bowling and Cheerleading

Well, it's late, so I guess that's all for tonight. Don't forget to check back for the "spooky" storage building story!

Cute Kids

Warning: This picture does not represent actual life! However, I have decided they get along better than a lot of brothers and sisters!
I am making "photo quilts" for the grandparents this year and for my family, this is my favorite picture to use! They look so sweet, so innocent!
Weston got Student of the Month for October at his school! We are SO proud! He's such a great little guy! Tomorrow, the school is having a breakfast to celebrate the students chosen, so me and my parents are going to help him celebrate. Plus, tomorrow is Halloween and the kids are pumped about trick-or-treating, wearing their costumes, their class parties, and the fall festival. Hopefully, the dental bill doesn't escalate after tomorrow!

Fast Forward to Next Weekend

Well, this week wasn't that busy, so that's not my reason for not writing sooner--I guess it's just been a quick week. Ok, ok. I have no excuse. So, now I have to remember all the fun stuff!
Well, how about the funny stuff first? Weston is such a matter-of-fact person. And with that means a no-holds-barred perspective. So, first Weston story: Kyle went to pick-up the kids at school the other day. Kylie has been growing a plant for me and it had reached the status of "being brought home", so Kylie runs over to Kyle and shows it off and tells him, "Daddy, here's my plant I made for Mommy!" Weston chimes in with, "You better not give it to Mom, she'll kill it!" So true. I admit it. I do not have a green thumb....I don't even have a green pinky finger! Then the next morning he proceeds to tell me about how his class gets to bring ornaments to decorate the Christmas tree this year. He tells me about being able to do this last year and then describes one of the ornaments his buddy brought.
Weston: "Mom, Haeven brought an ornament of a naked person last year!"
Me: (trying to hide my curiosity and fear of what was about to be told to me) "Really?"
Weston: "Yeah, his boo-hind was hanging out between the sheets!"
Me: (hoping this story has a G-rated ending) "Was it Baby Jesus in the swaddling clothes?"
Weston: "Yep." (as if it would have any other ending besides a G-rated ending!)

My son isn't the only funny one around here...Kylie's story probably tops the two combined. She was in the shower Thursday evening when the following plays out:
Kylie: (in a slightly scared voice) "Daddy."
(She gets no answer from Dad).
Kylie: (a little louder and a little more distressed) "DADDY."
(Still no answer from Kyle).
Kylie: (in a blood-curtling, terrified beyond belief, ear-drum busting scream) DAAAAADDDDDDYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!
At this point, Kyle takes off in a full-throddle sprint to the bathroom to find out what is going on.
I immediately thought she had probably just bumped the knob that adjusts the water temperature to hot. However, I hear the following:
Kyle: (in a voice that stressed mess and clean-up was going to be involved) "Kylie, what have you done??!!??"
Kylie doesn't immediately respond which isn't unusual when she's in trouble.
Kyle: "Well, you've gone and just slit your butt open good, huh??"
This was enough to send me flying into the bathroom to figure out what happened. Kylie had tried to shave her butt cheek with my razor!! She had about a 2 inch cut down her right cheek and blood running down her leg! The sad part is, the razor had been put out of her reach and she was warned to not touch anything in the shower. But the poor girl has a serious case of curiosity, so she had proceeded to get the razor down and try to use it. So, a dab of Neosporin and two band-aids later, she was good to go--with a lesson learned.

Last night we went roller-skating with the kids. They had such a great time and they can really skate well! They go and go until they just pass out. The poor things never want to go home but they can't even hold themselves up on the skate floor! I fell once and it hurt! I didn't remember skating hurting that bad--a sure sign of aging I guess.

Well, Kyle is prodding me to hurry this up. He wants to get out storage buildings cleaned out which can't be done without me approving the disposal of the items! Then this afternoon I am going to attempt to take the Cumbie grandkids picture with my two kids and Kyle's sister's two kids. This is the first time I have tried to get 4 children to pose in a shot together--wish me luck!

The End of the Weekend

Well, yet another weekend has come to an end. Hey, but at the end of this weekend, my house is clean! Bunco went great--the food tasted wonderful. Everyone seemed to have a good time and I think people were amazed at the "barn". I think they thought it was going to be really awful and then realized that you could actually make a metal building interior look like a house! Overall though, we had a great time!
Saturday's Razorback game was great! Kyle and I drove north to the game and had a blast. I was glad to find out I am not a jinx on the Hogs! :) We had fun although I was asleep by 7 pm and Kyle and the kids shortly followed at 9 pm! We were all exhausted from the busy week and crashed the first moment we sat down.
I had to work today, but it wasn't that bad...waiting until the fall to pull my Sunday "shift" was a smart move! I also took some pictures for a friend. I am really booking up this fall w/pictures--and they are all "new" clients! I really need to get some business cards developed--but I am so busy taking the pictures, I don't have time to design one!
Well, Desperate Housewives is on, so I am off to catch up on the saga!

Ready for the Weekend

Well, the menu is finalized (and halfway cooked already) for Bunco tomorrow night...we are having Swiss steak, my "special" mashed potatoes, and corn, rolls, and some chocolate chip cookies! Hopefully everyone likes it! Now, I just have to finish up the house cleaning before they show up tomorrow evening.
I get to go to the Hog game Saturday! After having tickets all season, I finally get to go. However, I haven't been since the USC game, and well, that is the only game they lost. So, Kyle is really trying to find something for me to do though--for some reason he thinks I am bad luck?? :)
Well, Grey's Anatomy is on, so gotta go!

The Countdown to Bunco

Bunco is at my house Friday night...and I am not ready. The house itself is a wreck, I still can't decide on a menu that I have enough time to cook AND tastes good, and did I mention that I live in a barn? Yeah, so this whole thing of having 11 other women come over is a little unnerving. I have tried to lighten the whole evening--my "invitations" joked about the ambiance and how we would be listening to the Deliverance soundtrack. I assured Andria that the snakes/spiders would be out of the area for her visit, and I let them know that although Kyle wouldn't reveal the species of meat we would be eating, that the shish-ka-bobs would still be tasty!
But my jokes are more to hide my fears. What if they die when they see this metal barn? What will they think about the rather simplistic structure and decor?
Ultimately, I know that it is what I call home for now (and have for 2 1/2 years now!), so hopefully they will go easy on me!
Well, it's late (as usual) and I really need some rest. The tsunami that blew through last night kept me awake--keep in mind you can hear the slightest raindrop on this metal roof. It's soothing at times, but after hours and hours of pouring down rain, it just gets annoying!

From a Distance

I'm back. I made it home safely, although there were several slippery moments driving from XNA. I seriously thought I would hydroplane on at least 4 different occasions! But, luckily I made it home safely. My parents were about 4 hours behind me, so they should be getting home this evening as well.
The trip home wasn't that eventful except for the two people that were sitting behind me on the plane. They were from London and were coming here for business. Anyway, I got a kick out of listening to the guy explain to the lady that was with him about marriage, traveling, and then our area. The explanations about what the area I call home were the best though! She evidently was originally from Nigeria, however from what I could tell, she calls London home these days. Anyway, he asked her what she wanted for dinner and she told him she wanted something very American. Well, he tells her that they need to eat BBQ and fried chicken. He tells her he will take her to KFC because it will be really American and she'll enjoy it while she eats it, but won't want it ever again! As I sat there and continued to listen to him describe the Ozarks to her, I couldn't help but realize how much he knew about this area. He had evidently done his homework and maybe he has visited before. I looked out the window as he showed her a chicken house and described it to her. He told her about the lakes and showed her how the leaves were changing. As he continued, I knew that he knew more about where I lived than I did!
Ok, you know me--I got to thinking. There are times we can learn something about ourselves from others. At times, we think we know ourselves better than anyone. We are taught that we are our own experts. But his descriptions of the Ozarks showed me that sometimes an outside opinion is refreshing. There are times we can be enlightened by another person's perspective. Sometimes their views and perception are so different than anything we could have seen from our own view. It's not that they are necessarily right, (hey, the guy thinks we are all a bunch of rednecks that would shoot anyone that stepped on our property!) but it at least challenges us to learn more about ourselves!
Well, it's Desperate Housewife time...gotta go!

My Day in Illinois

Well, it's Saturday night--time to wind down from a busy day in Peoria. We went and visited my parents' new business. Kaylee, you said you were curious what kind of business they have. Well, they bought a skating rink up here! It's very similar to the one back home and seems to be a thriving rink. We visited each session--at one point there were 7 birthday parties going on! Talk about busy. Anyway, it appears to be a wise choice for them. I have had fun learning how it operates, meeting the people who work up here, and seeing some of the town. It was a nice little getaway this weekend! However, tomorrow is another flying day for me--hey, say a prayer that the flights go well AND that they run on time! :)
Kylie went to her first Razorback football game today. I think she had a great time from what Kyle has told me, however he is exhausted. She rode on his shoulders the entire walk to the stadium. Then, Miss Diva made her Dad stand in line for 30 minutes for a snack, plus take her potty two times. See Kyle, I'm not that high maintenance (or at least you can say she comes by it natural!)....

Finally Made It!

Attention Everyone: If I at any time I invite you to fly with me somewhere, DON'T DO IT! It's not me that's necessarily bad, it's the fact that every flight I step on is delayed. I hurried out of work this afternoon to try and get to XNA on time for my flight. I walk in right on time and sit down thinking I had about 5 minutes before the plane would start boarding. All of the sudden I hear a lady complaining about her flight being delayed...I looked around and noticed the New York flight was runnning a couple of hours behind. "Good," I thought--for a moment I was afraid it was mine. But a minute later, I noticed a line forming at the desk for my flight. I got up and looked at the screen--a 3 HOUR DELAY! I couldn't believe it. So, I spent the next 3 hours listening to two teenage girls cut down their parents about how they were treated by each when they traveled between homes (divorced family obviously). From there, it was a stale pretzel at the snack bar, some weirdo who would not quit staring at me (luckily he boarded the New York flight), and the constant fight to keep myself awake (see the last two blogs to understand my dreariness). I checked w/the desk about my connecting flight in Chicago--the last thing I wanted was an overnight stay at that airport. Luckily Chicago was causing the delays (40 mph winds), so my connecting flight was behind schedule. After reading my entire Glamour magazine, the 1st 2 chapters in my next school book (brownie points Mr. Harper??), and walking through the gift shop and reading about Tara Reid's horrible boob job, I was just ready to get out of there!
I finally made it to Peoria about 10:45 this evening! I am beat. Luckily, Jim said we don't have to leave until 10 am in the morning, so I am going to sleep in a bit!

How about Grey's Anatomy last night? Let me tell you, they are cranking out some great messages (either that or I am in a really thematic mood lately)....I loved the message about making a choice between something you really want and what you probably need. I've been there a few times in life. It's hard. People get hurt. You hurt as well for two reasons--the person you hurt doesn't understand, so they are mad. As well as you make a choice that isn't necessarily what you want to do, but for some reason God has given you the end of the storyline and not everyone else. Plus, you don't know when the other person (or people) will understand or if they ever will. You feel cruel. You are mad. But in the end (whenever "the end" gets here), you know you have made the best decision for all involved. When does the epiphany occur in the other person though? You just pray it happens soon.

Well, that's enough jabber from me tonight--good night. And may tomorrow's choices bring you happiness in "the end".

I'm Spent

It was another long day, but we were very productive! I woke up this morning to the cold chill in the air and knew I had to make another Starbucks run before heading to the shot location. Kyle, I'm sorry! It was so incredibly cold outside today during the shoot--I felt like a human popsicle....But, everything went smooth today and ultimately I think our shoot was a success!
Well, tomorrow is my travel day--after a busy week, I will spend my weekend completely occupied as well! But, I haven't been to Illinois (other than driving through it I'm sure), so I am anxious to see the Peoria area. My Mom called and said it is really cold up there though (guess so if it's freezing here), so all of the clothing that I packed and sent with them to wear won't do me much good now. So, just pray for a safe flight for me and that they will allow my carry-on bag since I have 4 oz lotion! ;) The terrorists sure put a damper on smelling good while you travel!
Well, Grey's Anatomy is starting and I plan to get in bed on time, so that'll have to do it for now.

That's a Wrap!

Whew! I am beyond exhausted. We had our commercial photo/video shoot for work. That is some long hours and we were constantly busy. Luckily, I drove through Starbucks on the way to work and got a White Chocolate Mocha, otherwise I wouldn't have made it through the day. My ankles hurt. My feet hurt. My back hurts. And I'm tired. I didn't end up leaving until after 6 pm tonight. And guess what? Tomorrow is Day 2 of the shoot! I will sleep like a baby tonight!
Well, Kylie is waiting patiently for me to rock her to sleep. She has gotten back into the habit of having me rock her to sleep lately--I can't complain because some day she won't want to crawl up here with me. I am not sure who will rock who to sleep tonight. Chances are she will need to put me in bed!
Well, I am outta here to catch some Z's!

Only 5 more to go...

Well, another class under the belt. I have 5 more to go and this degree is complete. Let's hope Mr. Harper gives me a decent grade in the last one! :) This next class will be painful though (see previous blog on possible benefits of pain--I have to keep reading it to remind myself it will be worth it). He's got case studies, exams, and a final presentation! Keep in mind the class is only 8 weeks. He's a Timmons prodigy for sure!
I think I will take this early time at home to catch up on some shows on my DVR. What About Brian? premiered last night for this season--I am glad they picked it back up!

Had a Bad Day

I am glad this day is over. I am glad it was labeled "Monday". Because had it been any other day, I wouldn't have seen it coming. However, when you start a day called Monday, you know it's not going to be fun. So, let's just hope it was only a bad Monday and not a sign of days to come this week. I don't have the patience for it. I am still trying to wrap up my final paper for class tomorrow night. It's one of those papers "about yourself" so you feel guilty about anything nice you write!
Please say a prayer for me Friday (the 13th) as I fly to Illinois to visit my parents'. They are up north checking in on their new business and wanted me to get a chance to see it up close and personal. So, they bought me a plane ticket and are flying me up there this weekend. However, I don't have a seat on the last leg of the trip, so let's hope someone's plane is delayed in Chicago (besides mine). I need to get to Peoria and I really don't feel like driving the 130 miles. I don't understand why airlines overbook their flights?
Well, I better get back to my grammatical endeavors--my paper is not getting written here.

P.S. I have opened up the comments section on my blog for anyone who wants to comment. I am going to give this a try. This may change at a later date, but we'll try it out for now.

How About Them Hogs?

Oh my! Can you believe it???? We BEAT Auburn!!! Yes, Auburn! Kyle is jumping through the roof. And, so am I! I was completely shocked--it just proves we can win if we play hard. We're a good team--we just have to play as a team!
This weekend went by entirely too fast...Quick recap:

Friday evening: CROSS CANADIAN RAGWEED! Yes, my boys were back in Tulsa, so we made the drive for an awesome concert. Well, they were awesome, but the wasted chick in front of me who was puking up her overdone alcohol binge was rather disgusting! She puked for about 45 minutes. Her man needs a lesson in taking care of his woman. He should've gotten her out of there and saved face for her. (Of course, I can't blame the guy for wanting to stick around for a good concert, so maybe he should've just left her at home!)

Saturday: Well, we were supposed to go get our new camper, however Jim still isn't 100%, so we headed home and listened to the game on the radio (don't worry Kyle recorded it so that we could watch it at home). Saturday evening, Kyle and I went out on a "date"! Ha! Well, the two of us did go out to dinner and a movie. We saw The Guardian. It was a pretty good movie!

Sunday: HOMEWORK, HOMEWORK, and MORE HOMEWORK! AAHH! I have been typing all day long on my two final papers for class. I am exhausted! And I still have a little bit left to do!

Well, Desperate Housewives is on, so I better get back to it....it's going to be a busy week at work, so I need my beauty rest tonight!

Pain's Purpose

Well, I just finished watching this week's Grey's Anatomy and I loved one of the messages....Why do we feel pain? We all struggle with this at some point in our lives. We wonder why we have to deal with difficult situations and what good could possibly come from them. I can think of plenty of times I have experienced pain and found myself questioning why I was having to experience it--ultimately, it's the most painful experiences that leave the best impressions on us. Without pain, we wouldn't feel anything! The little girl on Grey's Anatomy that the pain storyline was developed around had people keep punching her in the stomach to prove to others that it didn't hurt. She thought she was invincible....she soon learned she was more damaged on the inside than she could imagine. But without feeling, she didn't understand that. Sometimes we pretend we don't feel the pain--only to find out we are damaging ourselves internally. We want to think we are invincible--nothing can happen to us.
I know pain hurts, but in the end it's feeling the pain that can ultimately take the hurt away.

Manual Labor

Kay Lynn and I spent the better part of our morning today loading our container that will be heading to a tradeshow next week. Talk about manual labor. This morning further developed my appreciation for a good college education!
Well, 3 more days until the CCR concert. I am still pouting over being in the same town as them last week and not being able to go to the concert, so hopefully Friday will clear my system!
Today was 50's day at school...Weston wore his hair slick, his jeans rolled, and the classic white tee for school. Here's a picture of him this morning--he was a cutie! Speaking of Weston, Parent-Teacher conferences went awesome last night--his teacher raved about how good he was! He had awesome grades as well. Don't worry, we'll pay next year when Miss Thang hits the doors of kindergarten!
Well, I spoke w/my professor tonight. He read my blog and knows my thoughts about the class thus far. Now you might think "Oh no, he READ your blog! Aren't you worried about what you wrote?" (Ok, you probably aren't thinking that if you really know me.) But, I'll humor you and answer that anyway--No, I am not worried. I have been clear that these are my thoughts here. You are welcome to read them all you want. But remember, you showed up at my "house". Anyway, back to the story. He apologized for the situation a few weeks ago-a noble and appreciated gesture I must say. Why? Because I appreciate his honesty and ability to rectify the situation. He exemplified emotional intelligence to its core. I appreciate an adult who can approach someone and attempt to discuss a situation w/humility and respect. So, Mr. Harper--welcome to my blog and thanks for the discussion. It was much appreciated. (I'm still right by the way--EVOLVE and CHANGE are not the same! :) )

We've Got Spirit!

Well, it's Spirit Week at school and Weston is ready for all of the fun days of dress up....Crazy Hat Day, 50's Day, Wild Hair Day, Backwards Day, and Bulldog Day. I will do my best to get some pictures of his week on here. Tomorrow is also parent/teacher conferences. I am not anticipating anything major with him. He has great grades and has only gotten a couple of red notes.
Last night Weston sent his Dad in to a laughing fit. It all started with Kylie and I singing and dancing around the living room. Well, Kyle said, "Get me out of here!" when Kylie started shaking her booty. Weston said, "Then I'm going with you!" Then he followed it up with, "Hey, let's just take these girls over to Oklahoma and leave them!" I guess the funniest part was the double entendre that he doesn't even know he said!
Today we had Alyssa's 18th birthday party at Mei-Mei's house. I can't believe she's already 18! I am getting incredibly old! These were kids I changed diapers and babysat growing up. Now she's LEGAL! :)
Well, it's off to the couch to get ready for Desperate Housewives!